ACTION: Chaffin's Farm (Fort Harrison), VA.
DATE: 30 September 1864.
NAME: James, Miles.
RANK/UNIT: Corporal, Co. B, 36th U.S. Colored Troops.
CITATION: "Having had his arm mutilated, making immediate amputation necessary, he loaded and discharged his piece with one hand and urged his men forward; this within 30 yards of the enemy's works."
MEDAL PRESENTED: 6 April 1865.
BIOGRAPHICAL DATA: Born: Princess Anne County, VA.
ENTERED SERVICE: Norfolk, VA.
PHOTOGRAPH/SKETCH: N/A
OTHER: Corporal James was one of the 14 black soldiers who won the Medal of Honor for bravery in the assault on Fort Harrison. At this time, however, I have not been able to find as much information on him as I have on his comrades. Hopefully, this will change in the near future.
SOURCES:
Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1978, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979. p. 129.
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An order from Gen. Benjamin Butler, dated 11 October 1864, had this to say:
Corpl. Miles James, Thirty-sixth U.S. Colored Troops, after having his arm so badly mutilated that immediate amputation was necessary, loaded and discharged his piece with one hand, and urged his men forward; this within thirty yards of the enemy's works. He has a medal and a sergeant's warrant.
Official Records, #89, p168